[Clarification about the WIP]
[I am simply giving you this as a sorry, so you have something to chew on and to show what I have ready and show kind of the direction and flavor of this fic]
[However, after a certain point it is going to be pathetically cringe to read as it will be painfull]
A few minutes before Beatrice and Subaru's encounter. Subaru's room.
Subaru is lying down on a neatly well-done bed; he is awake, his body facing the ceiling. "An unknown ceiling." Subaru couldn't stop staring at the ceiling with a blank face.
Before this happened, Subaru was walking in the streets of Japan. He was casually walking with his replaced flip phone, looking at his shopping list.
"Money is getting tight… I should spend more carefully. Can I even buy the new upcoming game?"
He closed his phone and sighed. This was his first time going to the convenience store today.
And then, for no apparent reason, he felt a rather strong chill going down his spine and looked around. "What the…?"
But when he took a step forward, ready to ignore it, he heard, "Pop!" And when he realized… "An unknown ceiling."
He got up from bed abruptly and said out loud, "Wait, I mean–What!? Couldn't it be just a little subtle?!" He practically jumped out of bed and landed on the floor.
He checked his body; everything was fine, nothing out of place or damaged. And most importantly, his favorite deep gray with orange stripes tracksuit is intact.
Subaru stood firm on the ground and placed his finger under his chin, posing theatrically, showing he was in deep thought. Except he was sweating from nervousness and carried a trembling smile. He was acting.
The teen opened his eyes and said, "So, mister game master… I clearly am not in the same place as before." He started looking around the bedroom he was in, "And judging by the lack of modern-looking objects…"
He snapped his fingers for no one and temporarily closed his eyes. "I have been transmigrated into a game world!" He opened his eyes and nodded to himself. "Yes, this cliché type of story."
He looked more carefully at the room; there was the bed he teleported into, a little desk, a closed window, a wardrobe, and some other furniture. They all had a medieval times vibe, he noted.
But the most important thing for him at the moment… the mirror.
Every NEET knows that the first thing to check when you get transmigrated, or generally open your eyes in an unknown scenario, is to know who you are now. Because the best cheat for them is the knowledge of the future.
He prayed silently, rubbing both hands above his head and approaching it, covering his eyes slightly, with a fear that he is into a "survive-the-really-hard-to-live-in novel if you're this specific NPC."
He wasn't the best gamer; he was just someone. Just a shut-in. He gathered courage and released the cover from his eyes. And he saw…
"It's you." He stood neutral staring at himself and made a broad reference.
You could envision a non-existent question mark appearing above his head. "So, I haven't been isekai'd, summoned, or the newest isekai trope: transmigrated."
He hummed in deep thought. His head was slowly getting filled with anxiety and confusion.
He suddenly opened the door to the hallway and shouted, "What's happening!?" He pointed and stared at a random point in the hallway ceiling. "Lame novel design, I tell you!"
"Where's the beautiful girl that summoned me!? Where's the goddess!? Where's the system panel!?"
He groaned, as there was nothing he could do; thus, he walked to explore the area he had been teleported to. Looking at the walls and the hallway, he could notice that indeed this place was fine. It probably is an out-of-bounds area, a place where players can't be in without game progression.
Footsteps
Double footsteps sounded through the corridor, but Subaru's mind was drifting to a checklist of what to do first. Comparisons with games and novels he read. He didn't like a single bit that the situation he's in is a seamless, instruction-less, teleport-isekai.
Footsteps
He had to find someone first, or an NPC, if you prefer. What he needs right now is one and only thing: information. Although he is a dropout, he has some survival instincts from his readings. Who said that being a NEET isn't productive? Clearly that is helping this in this impossibly statistical scenario, he thought to himself.
Footsteps
At last, following the inflation of his ego, he became aware of footsteps that were not his own.
He turned and saw a child with an obvious important design; if this was a game, this child was his… "First NPC found!" He pointed at the little girl; he had found something to grab information from.
"Or is this the one that summoned me? Only fate knows!" Subaru threw his arms wide, posing to an invisible audience, and then closed his hand and pointed upwards.
He looked at her face and realized this was probably not the best way to have a first impression, so he cleared his throat and continued in a more socially acceptable way.
"Anyway, if you know what's going on, could you please give me the introduction? I was already kind of thinking I had been transported to those darker tropes where the main character suffers instead of being the hero."
She took a breath and ran to him with open arms. "Subaru! It's nice to see you're fine, I suppose!"
She jumped at him, hugging him. Subaru got startled and reached out to stop her, pushing gently against her head. "Oi, Oi, I'm not a lolicon—I mean, not your brother, release me! You're mistaking me for someone else!"
She looked at him in the eyes and puffed out her cheeks. "Again with that term? What does it even mean, in fact!?" She huffed and turned her head.
He tried to disengage from the hug, but somehow this child was stronger than him, that is, until suddenly he felt its arms leaving him. Thus, he took the opportunity, took a couple steps back, and crouched to her height. "Okay, little girl, I know it might be terrifying to stay without your parents," he said softly. "But you shouldn't jump into other people's arms!"
But Beatrice wasn't the only one to find him fast; from the other side of the corridor, a certain demi-human could be seen sniffing around.
As Subaru's and Beatrice's figures were seen, he smiled and approached casually.
"I knew it was Captain's scent! Though it's a little more clean than usual."
He came towards Subaru with a smile, "Yo Captain! Why ya here so early?"
Subaru who was crouched still, looked behind him and stood up, analysing the figure who was talking.
"Those are some sharp teeth… What are you, a human tiger?" Subaru somehow nailed it.
"Wah? Are ya trying to make a joke? I didn't understand, if so."
Garfiel left that as it was, and bringed a serious topic; "We are under some unknown predicament. It's good ya spirit 's here." He then tilted his head to the window, signaling to look outside.
"Da manor is in this weird place and there's a strange floating building in front of the manor. Most of the staff that stayed behind gathered in the guestroom."
Subaru and Beatrice turned to the window and both gasped with the sight, the world beyond the garden was simply whiteness! And in front of the gate leaving the manor was a modern building.
"I wouldn't say weird, but the circumstances are definitely weird. It seems like those 2 story apartment buildings, but small." Subaru lifted an eyebrow to this guy's definition of "weird".
"Definitely weird, in fact. But I'm more concerned about how we came here, there was no sign of magic being utilized when I was transported."
Subaru stayed silent to gather the little information he had, but to his demise they continued to speak.
"True, the only thing that I could say that was a sign was the weird sound that came from my back."
"Sound? Oh, do you mean that pop?"
"'pop'?" Asked Beatrice.
Subaru turned to Beatrice and placed his lips together to make a sound, "pop, like this right?"
"I knew we could count on Captain!" Garfield imitated Subaru's move, the thumbs up.
"Seriously, aren't both of you misunderstanding me for someone else? Anyway, we need to know what happened to us!" Subaru energetically led the way…
"That's the way to the bathroom, Captain!" Garfiel holds his laugh inside.
Subaru in a comedical move, shifted his direction while he locked his figure. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and walked the other way.
That was until the gears in his head started to spin again, "Wait, you know where we are? Let's go to the guest room, I wanna know everyone that got transported here."
"Subaru, what do you mean by that?" Beatrice's puzzle piece on Subaru was almost complete.
"I mean, it's obvious we got inside a fantasy scenario, isn't it pretty clear now? Look at the whiteness outside, how is that any real?" He casually pointed towards the outside with his thumb.
"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about…" Beatrice was interrupted by someone.
"Subaru!? Are you fine?!" A silver haired girl approached them.
Subaru and Garfiel turned to Emilia, and Subaru caught on something in her appearance.
He widened his eyes and pointed at the girl, "Elf! A cosplayer in an elf cosplay!"
"What!?" Everyone exclaims.
"What?" Subaru asked, genuinely confused, and explained himself, "I have never seen a high quality cosplay before! Plus it's really different from the elf you see on the internet, it's pointed upwards." He placed both his indicators on his ears and pointed upwards.
The hallway went silent.
The only thing in Garfiel and Beatrice's mind was, 'It's not him'. Meanwhile Emilia thought it was Subaru's way to flatter her, even if she didn't understand what a cosplayer is.
Beatrice hesitated first, but overcame it and prepared to get this imposter.
Beatrice summoned a purple colored shard and pointed at Subaru, "Who are you, there's no way you are Subaru!"
Subaru screamed at the dangerously sharp floating object pointing at him and defended himself, "Hey! I said like four times I'm not who you think I am, my name's Subaru Natsuki! A hikikomori from Japan!"
The shard went even more near his throat, but Emilia intervened, "Wait, what are you doing!?"
"Come on, you know that Subaru would instantly fall in love with you even if he lost his memory. Isn't that how you met him, I suppose?"
"Is this how you treat innocent peo—hiip" Subaru's throat was an inch apart a second summoned shard.
"Beatrice! Stop, please!"
The spirit side glanced at the half elf, an annoyed sigh came from her mouth. The shards disappeared soon after.
"Fine, I suppose. But don't get me wrong, I'm just giving him a chance because I can feel a certain connection with this imposter, in fact." She huffed and walked away in the direction of the closest door.
She walked away, and Subaru noted inside his head to never interact with this crazy child alone!
Subaru didn't say a word until he saw her enter a door that he could see was the door to the library of this place.
"Subaru, don't joke like that, this prank is too much for Beatrice." Emilia's tone carried a gentle and worried affection. "Why did you call me an elf by the way?" She took her knight's hand.
'Too close!' Subaru's cheeks reddened.
But he sighed and thought this misunderstanding should end, "I'm telling you guys, I'm not your Subaru."
He took a few steps back and did his iconic pose, pointing up with his right arm and hips to the left, "My name—as I said before—is Subaru Natsuki!"
This confused them, was he or was he not Subaru?
"We… know?" Emilia carried the "we" for a while, in uncertainty.
"Captain, are ya feelin' alright? Did ya hit yer head somewhere?" Garfiel's eyes carried an accusatory mist of suspicion, though slightly less than before.
Subaru blinked, why weren't they understanding he's not their Subaru? Who besides himself can do these embarrassing poses with a straight face? And having the same first name and surname, impossible!
"My name is Subaru Natsuki—not the one you're thinking of—Nice to meet you!" He said the same thing with a little change in the same pose.
Emilia was about to repeat again, when she saw the outside, "What happened? Why is there whiteness all across the manor?"
Subaru clicked back to seriousness, "No clue, I was in my street in the middle of going to the nearest konbini when that pop happened and I was laying down on a bed looking to an unknown ceiling."
Garfiel didn't question and just nodded, but Emilia though, she questioned. "What do you mean Subaru? You were with me in that public park…?"
Subaru placed a finger under his chin and hummed in deep thought, "No. Definitely there wasn't a beautiful cosplayer in the street I was, there's your proof I'm not your Subaru."
Garfiel thought it would be better for them to leave this conversation to somewhere else, "Let's go, we can't waste time. Roswaal and the others are in the guestroom."
Both nodded, and they walked to the guest room of the manor.
While they walked, Subaru explored his smartphone. There wasn't anything out of place, and of course, no connection.
Emilia took a peek at Subaru's mītia but didn't question it, for now.
…
In the Forbidden Library, an angry spirit could be seen sitting on a chair. She wasn't just there to sit of course, but rather inspecting the books.
They were all original.
It didn't make sense to her, why were these books and the library here?
She knows all the books inside the library, but she felt that there might be a clue on what's going on. What happened to them?
But all she could think was either transportation magic or an unknown divine protection. After a few book flips, she confirmed that there was no transportation magic that made that sound.
"Just what happened, I suppose?" Beatrice furrowed her brows.